UFC 205 Aftermath: Saturday night’s other stars

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 12: Tyron Woodley of the United States (right) fights against Stephen Thompson of the United States in their welterweight championship bout during the UFC 205 event at Madison Square Garden on November 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images )

Historic moments have a way of commanding the spotlight, but several others showed out at Madison Square Garden over the weekend.

Conor McGregor claiming a second world title in relatively easy fashion in the highly anticipated closing of the UFC’s debut at Madison Square Garden has commanded the majority of the attention in the wake of Saturday’s event and rightfully so.

Historic moments deserve copious amounts of attention and McGregor made history at UFC 205.

But the Irish standout wasn’t the lone athlete to deliver a standout performance on Saturday night under the bright lights. Several other competitors used the grand stage to turn in stunning efforts and though “The Notorious” one has commanded the majority of the coverage following his win over Eddie Alvarez, the others that delivered impressive performance inside the Octagon should be acknowledged too.

Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 11: UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson face off during UFC 205 Weigh-ins at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Saturday’s Fight of the Night recipients combined to deliver an epic championship clash, one that ended in a majority draw and likely immediate rematch. Both men had their moments – rounds where they showed the full extent of their skills and what makes them elite talents.

Woodley dominated the first and the fourth in different ways. Out of the gate, he caught a kick, put the challenger on his back and went to work on the canvas, opening up Thompson with a short elbow and showcasing his tremendous control game. In the fourth, it was his power that was on full display, as he put “Wonderboy” on roller skates and nearly finished the fight.

But in those other three rounds, it was Thompson who led the dance and was in full control. His mastery of distance and ability to land and avoid, taking advantage of Woodley’s willingness to put himself against the fence was a sight to behold.

In each frame, Thompson had strikes that just missed – spinning kicks that Woodley barely slipped, punches that landed, but weren’t quite flush – and it will be interesting to see what kind of adjustments the South Carolina native will be able to make between now and whenever they do this one again.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Karolina Kowalkiewicz

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 12: Karolina Kowalkiewicz of Poland (left) fights against Joanna Jedrzejczyk of Poland in their women’s strawweight championship bout during the UFC 205 event at Madison Square Garden on November 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images )

The strawweight title combatants could have taken home FOTN honours just as easily as their welterweight counterparts because while the swings in momentum weren’t as grand, this was a close back-and-forth fight from start to finish and both elevated their standing in the eyes of the fans on Saturday night.

Jedrzejczyk once again showed that she has the heart of a champion as well as the skills, as she was the one that got rocked in this contest, yet she managed to weather the onslaught and keep pressing forward, winning the final round after getting shook in the fourth.

As for Kowalkiewicz, the challenger made it clear she wasn’t rushed into anything in this one, going toe-to-toe with “Joanna Champion” from the first exchange, refusing to back down despite often being on the wrong end of many of those exchanges.

While it wasn’t the breakthrough performance many (me included) predicted for Jedrzejczyk, it was a better overall fight than most forecasted and both women deserve praise for their performances.

Yoel Romero

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 11: Yoel Romero reacts during UFC 205 Weigh-ins at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Not only did Romero make a statement in his bout with Chris Weidman, but the Cuban contender made the most of his time on the microphone following the contest as well, and quite possibly secured himself a middleweight title fight in the process.

Seconds into the final round, Romero uncorked a flying knee that caught Weidman on the temple, opening him up and sending him to the canvas, effectively ending the fight. Once thee bout was stopped and the post-fight interview commenced, Romero turned his attention to middleweight champ Michael Bisping, who was flipping him off from the broadcast booth.

The “Soldier of God” is a phenomenal athlete and unbeaten in the Octagon, using his world-class wrestling and otherworldly explosiveness to frustrate and turn back opponent after opponent. A month after feeling like the fourth option in a mini four-man tournament at middleweight, Romero is now the No. 1 contender.

Khabib Nurmagomedov

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 11: Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts during UFC 205 Weigh-ins at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

One of the knocks on “The Eagle” heading into his bout with Michael Johnson was that he’d been limited to just a single appearance over the last two years and beating Darrell Horcher doesn’t exactly convince you that the unbeaten contender is still the dominant force he was prior to being sidelined by injuries.

That question was answered on Saturday, as Nurmagomedov manhandled Johnson, keeping him pinned to the canvas for lengthy stretches in each round, ultimately finishing him with a kimura in the third.

If there were any doubts about Nurmagomedov’s standing as a contender heading into Saturday’s historic event, they were erased after the opening five minutes and conversations about his potential to become lightweight champion replaced them as the night wore on.

Vicente Luque

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 12: Vicente Luque of Brazil celebrates his win by KO over Belal Muhammad of the United States in their welterweight bout during the UFC 205 event at Madison Square Garden on November 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images )

Unheralded welterweights don’t usually get much recognition coming out of a show like this, but this feature wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging Luque’s first-round knockout win over Belal Muhammad.

The 24-year-old Brazilian picked up his second-straight quick KO win and fourth consecutive victory overall, starching Muhammad with a sharp left hand counter just over a minute into the opening stanza. With a slick ground game that is even better than his steadily improving hands, Luque is one to keep tabs on going forward in the deep 170-pound ranks.

E. Spencer Kyte covers MMA for The Province; follow him on social media: spencerkyte.

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